Jalil Brown gave Colorado a verbal pledge the same weekend as the Buffaloes' spring game. And on Monday, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound athlete from Phoenix (Ariz.) South Mountain made his commitment official by signing his letter of intent.

Brown rushed for 1,767 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior. He broke a 5A state rushing record when he went for 412 yards and five scores in one game against Central.

Brown, who plans to enroll at CU the second week of June, took time out to talk about his recruitment and his decision to sign with the Buffs:

Walk me through your recruiting process, it seems like you went under the radar from most colleges. Did it get frustrating at times for you?

Jalil Brown: "It did for a little while but my family and I prayed and we knew it would work it. It did have me on edge for a little while though. My junior year I was recruited heavily and I had a pretty good [senior] season. At the end of my senior season a lot of schools were coming to see me at the school and were calling me. I almost had something set up with Hawaii; I was going to take a trip out there. But I didn't end up doing that."

When did Colorado start showing interest in you?

"They started showing interest in me back in February. Coach [Greg] Brown came out here. His younger brother is a coach at Greenway high school here [in Phoenix]. I guess he told him about me. He told him I was a good athlete. So Coach Brown actually came to my school at around 2:30 one afternoon, watched film for about an hour and liked what he saw. He said he definitely wanted me to come to Colorado. I had a basketball game later that night around seven and he waited until after the game to come and talk to me so that was real nice. He told me that I had the perfect size and I reminded him of one of the corners that he coached for the Saints. He said he wanted to offer me right away but Coach Hawkins had to watch the film and see how it was. Coach Hawkins liked the film so we scheduled a trip. It was supposed to be scheduled for early this month but I had a track meet so we postponed it and waited until last weekend (April 14th weekend)."

Talk about your official visit to Boulder. What did you like most about your trip?

"I liked everything. It was beautiful. I liked how the whole town is kind of centered around the University. I have family out there in Aurora and they are pretty close to me. They took me around the campus. Coach Hawkins talked to me about how the program is coming up. I had developed a good relationship with Coach Brown. I have a lot of respect for him and I decided that I wanted to come and play for him. I'm definitely looking forward to becoming a part of the program."

Have they talked about how they see you fitting in?

"They are bringing me in as a cornerback."

What will you bring to the Colorado football program?

"I feel like I'll bring a cornerback with good size to the program. Also, I do a good job listening to coaches and allowing myself to be coached by other players. So whatever they decide to teach me and help me out with, I'll do it."

How would you describe your personality off the football field?

"I'm an outgoing person. I like to joke around, hang out with friends."

What are some of your hobbies outside of football?

"I play basketball and run track. I also like to play video games and read books."

Do you have a program ritual or tradition?

"I pray, ask God to help me out to do my best in the game. I'll listen to some music and get hyped for the game."

Do you have any messages for Colorado fans?

"I plan to come out there and play hard and I hope to please them. Hopefully they'll enjoy watching me play."